This snail is exposed to a wide variety of infections, parasites and diseases, the most commonly met are:
- mites
- parasites
- eelworm, trematodas (snail worms)
- bacteria
- fungus
Some mechanical damages that depend upon habitats and care include the following:
- injuring
- intoxication
- overcooling
- heat stroke
- shell damage
- tumor
- exfoliation of shell from body.
Snails can transmit different types of diseases and infections, therefore, one infected snails is able to ruin the whole population. In order to prevent the death of snails, it is necessary to follow some important precautions and measures as well as know the basic grape snail diseases
Snail worms
Сan occur in several ways. They can be transmitted from the soil or through infecting new pets. As far as the consequences are concerned, they are the following: infection of the entire soil, illness of mollusks.The major symptoms of infection include: weariness, lack of appetite, sluggish development, and visual damages. Healing of snails should e started from the isolation of the infected individual. One can put in the fodder crumbled pumpkin seeds, cucumbers, tansy, dried chamomile, brewer’s yeast, and aloe in the form of juice added to the water. Bathing snails in a steep chamomile broth is also important. Veterinary preparations can have toxins; therefore, best treatment is the use of collecting herbs together with beer in gruel. Keep on quarantine until complete recovery.
Bacteria, viruses, fungus
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, shell fungus and mould. These illnesses are deadly dangerous for snails, in most cases leading to the death of a mollusk, because it is very difficult to notice externally infected animal. To prevent infection (viruses, bacteria, fungi) it is necessary to disinfect. Everything that comes in contact with individuals, such as soil, food, room, neighbors, must be cleansed. It can be done with solutions of chlorhexidine 0.01%, potassium permanganate, furacilin, streptomycin. Treatment of the surfaces is being carried out at the temperature 220C for 2-3 minutes.
Mites, fruit blackflies, bugs and water bugs
These insects can penetrate into the habitats of snails for a wide range of reasons:
- infected soil
- rotten food
- sour fruits
- infected individual that did not pass quarantine.
The first thing to do is to treat everything with an aerosol containing pesticides from mites and parasites. The next step is a complete change of soil, general cleaning in the habitat, disinfection of all mollusks, and quarantine until complete recovery.
Affect of temperatures
Since these animals are cold-blooded means, they are unable to produce heat. Therefore, they can only get a burn or hypothermia due to the fault of the host: heating lamps are too close, absence of temperature control, direct sunlight, cold room and too high humidity. The most dangerous form of exposure in this list is direct sunlight. An animal should always be able to hide under the leaves or into the ground. With a slight decrease in temperature, the mollusk will be safe, but if the jump is unexpected and too significant, the pet can freeze. Whatever happens, one has to carefully monitor the lives of the snails.
Intoxication
Sugar, salt and caffeine are deadly to the gastropods. Medications also lead to the death of the animal. Household chemicals left after cleaning the room, leads to death in 97% of cases.
Therefore, thoroughly rinse all surfaces before rinsing them with boiling water, rinse the food before feeding, monitor the amount of salt in the food, chemical components and fertilizers in the feed, discard hormonal growth preparations and fertilizers.Falling from the height, pressure and too dense location can lead to the shell damage. In case the piece of shell has split from the body, the snail can be provided with help. Namely, one can debride the wound with epoxy. It is absolutely safe for the shell; however, it is necessary to prevent its contact with the snail body, as it can result in intoxication with the chemicals, contained in the epoxy.
Tumors, strumas
The reasons for their occurrence are:
- toxic plastic, where the snails live. Be careful when choosing the container for the animals.
- They remain the food and penetrate into the habitat. Please, carefully choose the soil.
Lamination. It happens because of genetic problems, caused by cancirogenes, shell fungi and bacteria. Regeneration is easy in young animals and almost impossible in old species.